What’s for dinner? Where’s the TP? COVID19, & Masks

REPOST from former blog My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

March 29, 2020

Empty Shelves in Houston, Texas grocery stores!
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

I would guess that over the past three weeks, that America has cooked more at HOME, than has been done in the past 25 years.  It is so bizarre to go into the grocery stores and see empty shelves.  There has been NO toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, or paper plates in my area of Houston for three weeks now!

I looked into my pantry and found protein bars and protein cookies (both low carb, and sugar free), almonds, walnuts, cashews, dried cranberries, fresh ground peanut butter, low carb blue corn tortilla chips, tomato sauce, green beans mushrooms, whole kernel white corn, pinto beans, 3 pounds of onions, tahini, cacao powder, raw honey, rolled oats, steel cut oats, rice cakes, whole wheat crackers, whole wheat bread rounds, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, white corn tortillas, spices, canola oil, pop corn, collagen powder, and PB Fit Sugar Free powder, fresh bananas, and apples.  

My favorite coffee!  Scotty P's!
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

Oh, and I almost forgot to say that I am well stocked on COFFEE!  I can drink coffee like a Gilmore Girl any day of the week!  My favorite coffee is Scotty P's Big Mug Coffee.  I could drink that stuff all day long!  I do still push my water all day, but when I wake up, the first thing I do after I get out of the shower is drink my coffee.   

My refrigerator and freezer have a healthy fare inside — fat free milk, eggs, fresh tomatoes, and carrots, Spinach, feta cheese, fresh parmesan cheese,  frozen fruit like bananas, blueberries, and strawberries, along with tilapia, ground turkey, turkey burger patties, chicken breasts, butternut squash, and riced cauliflower, to name a few items.

So I think we are ok, and have enough healthy foods to sustain us for a while.  But I am so emotionally exhausted that I am almost to the point that I don’t even feel like cooking.  I know we have to cook to eat, and normally it’s something that I enjoy doing, but for the past few days, it has felt like a horribly dreaded CHORE.  I’m guessing it is because of all of the stress of having to quarantine for the past two weeks.  

When this first started three weeks ago, we weren’t yet under a quarantine.  The second week it was “recommended” to stay at home, and now we are under mandator “Stay at home.  Work safe” order by our county judge, unless you are an essential worker – my sweet husband is a buyer for Whole Foods, so he has to go to work five days a week.  (Which scares me – I woke up having a panic attack two nights ago because I am fearful for him to get out during this pandemic.)  

So tonight I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner.  He didn’t care.  Anything will be fine.  Face palm.  I need an idea.  I finally decided to quickly throw together some Texas chili.  Here’s what I did:

Sautéed two medium onions in a little olive oil, took them out and set them aside.  Then I browned a pound of ground turkey.  When it was done, I threw the onions back in, threw in some chili powder, paprika, minced garlic, chicken broth, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a can of pinto beans (rinsed).  Then I let it simmer for 20 minutes and there was dinner.  

I ate half my bowl – which wasn’t much anyway – and gave the rest to my husband, because I just have no appetite.  He’s saving it for a “snack” later on tonight.  I’ve lost several pounds since this all started. And my glucose levels have been up and down. It’s not because I’m eating poorly, but I think because I’m forgetting to eat, or too anxious to eat.  

So apparently my liver is dumping glucose into my bloodstream, and since my issue is being insulin resistant, my body isn’t processing it.  But then sometimes I start feeling very shaky, and test my glucoseand it is really low.  Wednesday it crashed and went all the way down to 60 – that is low for me.  I think this week I need to put reminders in my phone for when to have a small snack, and when to eat lunch, etc.  Anyone have any suggestions of what you do to maintain your levels?  

The other issue at hand is making sure that when I DO have to go out – whether it be to get supplies, to take my 85 year old mother supplies, or when my husband has to go to work – I need to make sure that we are protecting ourselves, as well as sanitizing as much as possible when we come home.  I’ve always been a fanatic about washing hands, but I have NEVER in my life washed my hands as much as I have in the past six weeks.  I’m trying to put lotion on every time that I wash, to keep them from drying out!  I feel like I have alligator hands right now, they are so dry!

What are you doing to make sure you’re washing for the full 20 seconds or more?  I started out singing Happy Birthday, but that got old, and I would lose track of what verse that I was on.  (I know… short song.  How do you lose track of the verse?  But my mind wanders…)  Then I started singing some other pop songs.  I now have decided that I need to work on my scripture memorization.  

As a kid, I learned a lot of scriptures, and now I’m going through and finding some of my favorites to recite.  This week, I have been saying The Lord’s Prayer while washing my hands.  And it’s not just rote memorization this time – I feel really thoughtful when saying it, and it has deep meaning in my heart – I’m really worried about this virus.  This coming week, I’m going to focus on some of the Psalms.  I think they will bring peacefulness.

Here are some of the masks that I made.
Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

When I go out, I have been concerned about being exposed to someone who may have the COVID19 virus.  Of course, like everyone else, I could not find ANY protective masks anywhere.  So what did I do? Like many others, I decided to make my own masks.  

I did some research on whether or not it would even help.  I found mixed opinions.  But I decided that something was better than nothing – and that is a direct quote that I heard on the news from a physician.  I just want to be able to cover my face when out, and at the very least, it will serve as a reminder to not touch my face.    So I cut 6 x 9 inch squares of tightly woven cotton, and used three pieces to make my masks.  And I happened to have some elastic, which now cannot be found ANYWHERE, so I used that for the ear loops.  

Here’s a link to the video tutorial that I used. 

Video: Deaconess

• 
  

  

  And here’s a pic of us wearing our masks.
  Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

  Here are some of the masks that I made.
  Image: My Type 2 Diabetic Life ©

  
  
• 
  
• 
  

I’ve been told that we look like a couple of ninjas!  We’re fighting COVID19, so I guess it fits.

I also sprayed the outer side of our masks with several coats of Scotch Guard, and we also use a different mask each time we go out.  Since the masks are fabric, I am able to wash them to sanitize them.  And I know I already said this, but I have to say again — I just want to be able to cover my face when I do have to go out to get necessities.    

People look at me like I am crazy when I go out, but I don’t care.  I’m trying to do what I can to be healthy.   I know that as a Type 2 Diabetic, I am at risk if I get the virus.  So I am doing everything that I can do to stay healthy, so that I have a strong immune system.  

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog.  I hope that you’ll subscribe – top right corner of this page.  In the meantime, WASH YOUR HANDS, stay well, live well, and be well!   

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.